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This study evaluated the influence of a variety of construction techniques on the performance of plywood siding and the applied paint, using both ultrasound and conventional visual inspection techniques. The impact of bottom edge contact, flashing vs. caulking board ends, priming the bottom edge, location (Wisconsin vs. Mississippi) and a gap behind the siding to...

This testing program was designed to benchmark the performance of traditional roof systems and incrementally improved roof-to-wall systems with the goal of developing connection solutions that are optimized for performance and constructability. Nine full-size roof systems were constructed and tested with various levels and types of heel detailing to measure the lateral...

A recently completed testing project conducted to evaluate optimized structural roof-to-wall attachment solutions demonstrated the effectiveness of wood structural panels in restraining high-heel trusses against rotation. This study was designed to further evaluate the performance of OSB wall sheathing panels extended over the high-heel truss in resisting combined...

This study was designed to evaluate the performance of the extended wall structural panel connection in resisting combined uplift and shear forces at the roof-to-wall interface with a focus on a truss heel height of 24 in. to address the expected increases in the depth of attic insulation used in Climate Zones 5 and higher. Five full-size roof-wall assemblies were...

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) have been successfully used in wall and roof construction for years. Combining the strength of facers made of wood structural panels and the energy-efficient core made of foam plastic insulation, SIP walls and roofs are structurally strong and energy-efficient construction systems. However, the data for lateral load performance of...

An extended plate and beam (EP&B) design was developed at Home Innovation Research Labs (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) in an effort to provide traditional light-frame wall construction details that are compatible with continuous insulating sheathing. This would encourage wide-spread adoption of high-R walls and promote greater energy efficiency in new houses. The...

Wood is used extensively for both interior and exterior applications in the construction of a variety of structures (residential, agricultural, commercial, government, religious). The deterioration of an in-service wood member may result from a variety of causes during the life of a structure. It is important, therefore, to periodically assess the condition of wood...

Stress wave velocity has been traditionally regarded as an indicator of the extent of damage inside wood. This paper aimed to detect internal decay of urban trees through reconstructing tomographic image of the cross section of a tree trunk. A grid model covering the cross section area of a tree trunk was defined with some assumptions. Stress wave data were processed...

A vibration testing method based on free vibration theory in a ??free?free? support condition was investigated for evaluating the modulus of elasticity (MOE) of full-size wood composite panels (WCPs). Vibration experiments were conducted on three types of WCPs (medium density fibreboard, particleboard, and plywood) to determine the dynamic MOE of the panels. Static...

We designed a box trap for capturing lynx (Lynx lynx) that is lightweight, safe, effective, and less expensive than many commercial models. It can be constructed in approximately 3-4 hours from readily available materials. We used this trap to capture 40 lynx 89 times (96% of lynx entering traps) and observed no trapping related injuries. We compare our box...

Preservative-treated wood products are important construction materials. Preservative-treated wood pilings, after removal from service, constitute a major disposal problem for managers of waterfront facilities. For example, approximately 7,000 to 8,000 tons of mechanically or biologically deteriorated wood pilings are currently removed from U.S. naval facilities...

The primary means of inspecting buildings and other structures is to evaluate each structure member individually. This is a time-consuming and expensive process, particularly if sheathing or other covering materials must be removed to access the structural members. The objective of this study was to determine if a low frequency vibration method could be used to...

The movement of firewood within emerald ash borer- (EAB-) infested states and into adjoining states has been a major contributor to the spread of EAB throughout the United States and Canada. In an effort to stop the further spread of EAB from infested areas and to facilitate interstate commerce, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has required and...

The objective of this study was to investigate how a stress wave travels in a standing tree as it is introduced into the tree trunk through a mechanical impact. A series of stress wave time-of-flight (TOF) data were obtained from three freshly-cut red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) logs by means of a two-probe stress wave timer. Two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (...

In this paper, we attempted to simulate stress wave propagation in virtual tree trunks and construct two dimensional (2D) wave-front maps in the longitudinal-radial section of the trunk. A tree trunk was modeled as an orthotropic cylinder in which wood properties along the fiber and in each of the two perpendicular directions were different. We used the COMSOL...

The state of Wisconsin?s Department of Natural Resources is responsible for operating one of the largest state park systems in the United States. Peninsula State Park, one of the state?s most visited parks, attracts more than one million visitors a year. This park contained one of the most iconic structures in the Wisconsin State Park system, a tall, wooden observation...

With the need for evaluating the utilization of veneer peeler log cores in higher value products and the increasing importance of utilizing round timbers in poles, posts, stakes, and building construction components, we conducted a cooperative project to verify the suitability of stress wave nondestructive evaluation techniques for assessing peeler cores and some...

This paper describes both the field evaluation and laboratory testing of two timber-column-bent bridge substructures. These substructures served as intermediate pier supports for the East Deer Park Drive Bridge located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. A field evaluation of the bridge substructure was conducted in September 2008. Nondestructive testing was performed with a...

The information presented in this chapter is based on (1) extant knowledge of lynx ecology, (2) the pertinence of this knowledge to lynx conservation in the contiguous United States, (3) the ecological concepts discussed in the first section of this book, and (4) the collective interpretation and judgment of the authors. We have chosen the term "qualified...

Mammalian herbivory can have profound impacts on plant population and community dynamics. However, our understanding of specific herbivore effects remains limited, even in regions with high densities of domestic and wild herbivores, such as the semiarid conifer forests of western North America. We conducted a seven-year manipulative experiment to evaluate the effects...